082012@1618hrsEDT - I was wondering if there was a way to use the standard Slackware logo and wallpaper from the Slackware website for this wiki. It would give it that comfortable old shoe type feeling, I think. ~V. T. Eric Layton

I think that depends on whether it is decided to place the wiki under a slackware.com subdomain or slackdocs.org is going to be favoured. If it is not a slackware.com site I would not want to use a full set of Slackware visuals.
— Eric Hameleers, Mon Aug 20 22:11:13 UTC 2012

082012@1821hrsEDT - Ah! That makes since, Eric. Thanks for the reply. I guess it's something we can consider down the road a piece. ~VTEL

082312@2100hrsEDT - I've created a hyperlink on the main page in the paragraph under the Help topic where it says “you must create an account”. Hopefully, this will make it easier for folks to figure out how to register new accounts. ~vtel

Yes, NEWS looks out of step with the rest of the page. I've changed it. — Brian Lawrence 2012/08/24 13:49

NOTICE TO ALL

PLEASE do not edit the Main Page without consulting someone on the admin/editor team first !!!
— Eric Hameleers 2012/08/24 15:15

I think a link in the “Help” section is wrong. The hyperlink tells to 'create an account', but the link is 'start?do=login', so to login. In the french translation, I supposed the text was right and the link wasn't. Also, I dont think that links must have the 'http://docs.slackware.com/' part. In fact, the register link can simply be “?do=register”. EDIT: the french translation shows “?do=register” (so pages are similar)
— zithro

@ Matthew & Marcin - We are still in flux over the TOC issue, I believe. I am of the belief that the main page needs a traditional table of contents (or a link to one in the toolbox). Currently, I'm using the Site index link to navigate, but that leaves a lot to be desired. I'm not really sure what Eric and Niki's vision for a TOC is, to be honest. Niki will be back with us later this week. He and Eric can comment further here or on that list to give us a better direction on which to focus. — V. T. Eric Layton 2012/08/28 18:45

Shouldn't the header on each page of the wiki say, “Welcome to the Slackware Linux Documentation Project”?

Also, while I'm thinking about it… The “Navigation” sidebar shows all external links, with the exception of the loop link to the main page. Shouldn't “Navigation” contain links to areas of the wiki like the TOC, Random Article generator, Help pages, etc? And the external links (including one for Slackware.com) could be placed in a sidebar labeled “Links” or something similar.

Looks really good, Eric. My only suggestion (complaint ) would be that we need to use consistent capitalization rules for the sidebar headings and the links within the sidebars (see my suggestion above). I prefer this because I'm a hard-ass when it comes to the written word. I think texting and chatrooms have done major damage to proper writing and punctuation over the last decade. I mean how hard is it to let your left pinky hit that Shift key? It makes for a more professional presentation; something of which we'll all be proud. — V. T. Eric Layton 2012/08/30 13:27

Oh, and if someone hasn't already merged the styleguide and editing_rules, I'll see what I can do to facilitate. — V. T. Eric Layton 2012/08/30 13:37

Looking at the start page and thinking about some people's desire to see the FAQ and beginner's guide standing out on that page - what if the current block of “Getting Started” is split, with just absolute beginner info remaining in “Getting Started” and then adding a new section below that with another heading. Suggestions? “Dive into Slackware”?
— Eric Hameleers 2012/08/30 12:59

Personally, I would prefer a more technical/professional name for it… “For Advanced Users” or “Your Next Steps In Slackware”, etc. — V. T. Eric Layton 2012/08/30 13:27

All good! Things are really shaping up. The Main Page is the hook. It needs to be enticing, informative, concise, etc. You always want that cover page to get their attention. Great work, everyone! — V. T. Eric Layton 2012/08/30 13:34

Has there been a syntax decided on to note which version of Slackware (or application) a page is applicable to? Subtle changes that aren't caught/updated will cause all sorts of grief. EXAMPLE:

Slackware 12.1 (and later): mysql_install_db --user=mysql

Slackware 12.0 (and before): mysql_install_db

Also, my 2 cents: “…depends on whether it is decided to place the wiki under a slackware.com subdomain or slackdocs.org is going to be favoured” - docs.slackware.com looks more professional (which I realise in the Slackware realm, isn't much of a concern but…). - arfon

Please follow our guidelines about updating the discussion pages… in particular the use of a Wiki signature function - it adds a timestamp.
I noticed a page edit of our Wiki start page by a non-staff member. It made me realize that we must protect our start page from vandalism (even though this particular edit does not belong in that category) and therefore made the start page read-only to everybody except the staff editors.
If you (editors) would be so kind to evaluate if mentioning slackpkg on the main page is beneficial? I think not!
— Eric Hameleers 2012/09/11 16:41

Re: slackpkg on main page – myeh… it's not necessary, but it is something a beginner would need to use after installing their system.
— V. T. Eric Layton 2012/09/11 17:33

Re: slackpkg on main page: Noting slackpkg on the main page is not necessary since it should be documented in the install article and will be covered in all package management tutorials.
— Matthew Fillpot 2012/09/11 20:48

Been thinking this over. What we might want to have instead is a chapter “slackware maintenance” which would not only include instructions about how to configure and use slackpkg, but also some information about best practices: following the ChangeLog.txt ; subscribing to the security mailing list ; setting up a cronjob that automatically downloads (but not installs) new patches and sends you an email upon new arrivals ; stuff that any aspiring Slackware sysadmin (and home user) should know of. A link to such a chapter would be good to have on the main page
— Eric Hameleers 2012/09/12 05:05

I think it would be a good idea to add a link to the beginners_guide following this link:

Thanks for this suggestion, Mario. Oh, I've moved your post to the bottom of the page (older at top - newer at bottom). Cheers! — V. T. Eric Layton 2012/09/13 15:18

I've been wondering, if there is a good article (example: this guy) on some other site, do we simply create our own article and link to it as a source, or do we ask permission to move the article wholesale to the wiki? — Jared Przybylski 2012/09/16 13:30

I am not in favour of copying whole articles into our wiki, except if the person doing the copying is also the author of the original article. You can use another article as the source or inspiration for your own article here, and if you are re-using parts of it, it is good practice to mention it in the Sources section.
— Eric Hameleers 2012/09/16 13:46

I tried sending an email to the mailing-list twice this morning, but the connection failed. It was about Hazel's revisions. I missed those minor errors she corrected, maybe because I was used to Eric H.'s articles being so clear and easy to follow as far as the actual instructions are concerned, that minor flaws in his English were overlooked. So it's a good thing we've got Hazel on the team, for the benefit of both native and non-native English speakers/authors/editors. — Brian Lawrence 2012/09/19 06:09